1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of refrigeration with a vehicle feature, and to the particular field of vehicle-contained refrigeration.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many people transport perishable items in their automobile. The most common form of such items are groceries. Many people, especially those living in warm climates, must rush home after completing a shopping trip in order to get perishable items into their refrigerator without exposing those items to the warm climate for a lengthy period of time.
Often, a total shopping trip includes a trip to one or more grocery stores as well as stops to other stores. However, if perishable items are purchased at one grocery store, a special trip home may be required before completing other stops. This is time consuming and wasteful of energy.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for protecting perishable items that are being stored in an automobile.
While many automobiles have air conditioning in the passenger compartment, the inventor is not aware of any automobile that has efficient air conditioning in the trunk of the automobile. Therefore, the trunk area of an automobile is likely to be very hot, especially so since it is a closed volume and there is no convection cooling available. Thus, the trunk area of an automobile is likely to be even hotter than an un-cooled passenger compartment.
Since most groceries are transported in the trunk area of an automobile, and the trunk is generally not exposed to the air conditioning of the automobile, the air conditioning does not reach the perishables stored in the trunk, and these perishables may be even more likely to spoil than if they were simply stored in the passenger compartment of the automobile. Many drivers also transport children on their errands. A child in a car seat may effectively remove most of the storage area in an automobile. This may make it very difficult to store items inside the automobile, and such items may have to be stored in the trunk, thereby raising the just-discussed problems.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for protecting perishable items that are being stored in the trunk of an automobile.
Fuel efficiency is a very important consideration in nearly all motor vehicles. It is well understood that most air conditioning systems associated with motor vehicles reduce the fuel efficiency of the motor vehicle. Thus, any added air conditioning system should not unduly tax the vehicle engine whereby fuel efficiency can be preserved as much as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for protecting perishable items that are being stored in the trunk of an automobile without unduly affecting fuel efficiency of the automobile.
When perishable items are not being transported or stored in the trunk of an automobile, but the automobile is in use, it would be wasteful if the trunk were air conditioned.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for providing an air conditioned environment in the trunk of an automobile but only when needed.